Tongs



July 28, 1953 I. B. COYLE 2,647,006

- TONGS Filed Dec. 26, {L950 //\/z/5 TUR IRVING B. coYu:

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,4 TTURA/ W5 Patented July 28, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TON GS I 7 Irving B. Coyle, Portland, Oreg. Application December 26, 1950, Serial No. 202,649

This invention relates to improvements in tongs and has particular reference to laundry tongs and the like.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a pair of tongs which is durable and rugged. in its construction so that a firm grip can 'be applied to the clothing or other article being lifted. 1

Another object is to provide a pair of tongs which has few parts, which is easy to assemble, and disassemble, and which is inexpensive to manufacture.

The invention will be better understood and additional objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred form of the device. It is to be understood, however, that the invention may take other forms, and that all such modifications and variations, within the scope of the appended claim, which will occur to persons skilled in the art, are included in the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation view of the invention showing the two limits of movement of the tong arms;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the invention;

Figure 3 is a section view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a reinforcing cross plate;

Figure 6 is a section view taken on approximately the line 66 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of one of the channel members of the hinge assembly;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the other channel member; and

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the coil spring utilized to urge the arms to open position.

The present invention is used where it is desired to keep the hands out of solutions, or away from dangerous machinery. Such use would, for example, be the picking up of laundry or the like and feeding it into the rolls of a wringer. The device comprises a pair of elongated arms snugly fitted into opposed channel members positioned adjacent the rear of the device. One of the channel members overlaps the other in close fitting engagement, and a pivot pin extends through the overlapping portions of the side flanges of the channel members to provide a pivot for the arms and channel members. The chan- 1 Claim. (Cl. 294-85) nel members are sufficiently elongated to hold the tong arms in a common plane with the channel members in their pivotal movement. The tong arms are held in an open position by a coil spring mounted on a sleeve on the pivot pin and having resilient end portions extending forward within the respective channels and bearing against the inner surfaces of the arms.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a pair of tong arms I0 and l I having semi-c1r-;

cular notches "la and Ho, respectively, adjacent their outer ends to effect a more positive gripping of the article to be lifted. The tong arms 10 and II are fitted within opposed channel members l3 and M which are hinged by a transverse pivot pin [5 extending through the side flanges Kid and Ma of each of the channel members.

[3 is fitted inside the flanges Ma of the' rnember l4, and for this purpose the flanges of the memebr M are provided with offset portions, best seen in Figure 8, to facilitate the insertion of the other member. The side flanges of the members I3 and [4 are provided with apertures 16 and I1, respectively, and when in assembled relation there is suificient overlapping of the flanges to align the apertures 16 and I! for receiving the pivot pin l5. The pivot pin 15 is provided with a head on one end and a nut l8 on the other end, or both ends may be riveted, to hold the side flanges Ma of the channel member I4 in close fitting engagement with the tong arm H and the portions of the Side flanges l3a of member l3 which are contained within the member M.

The flanges Mo on the channel member M are ofiset the thickness of the other flanges I3a and may be provided with apertures 20 for the insertion of a transverse reinforcing plate 2|, shown in Figure 5. The plate 2| is shown in position in Figure 4 and may be secured to the flanges of the channel member by riveting its narrow end portions which project through apertures 20, as shown. The plate 2| is secured near the front end of the channel remote from the pivot, and in conjunction with the pivot pin I 5 prevents the side dances of the member I from spreading apart under the influence of twisting movement which may be applied to the arms when the arms grip an irregular article. Plate 2| may be omitted if the channel members are made of relatively stifi material such as a fairly heavy gauge sheet metal.

The channel members as thus pivotally connected are of such length that the tong arms which are snugly fitted therein are restricted as to any sidewise movement. When a strong grip is put on the arms, the arms will not have freedom to slip sidewise and lose their grip on the article being lifted but will be held in a common plane with the channel members. The tongs may thus be used with particular advantage in gripping any article of irregular shape.

Figures 6 and 9 show the spring 23 and its application to the pair of tongs. The spring 23 has resilient end portions 24 which have inturned portions 25 to engage the inner surfaces of the tong arms. The shank of the pivot pin i is surrounded by a sleeve 26 which supports the coil spring 23 and provides a strut between the channel flanges to maintain the proper spacing of the flanges [3a. and Ma when the nut 18 is tightened. As seen in Figure 6, the resilient end portions 25 of the spring engage in grooves 21 and bear on. the tong arms forward of the pivot point to urge the arms to the open position, as shown in solid lines in Figure 1. The closed position of the tongs is shown in dotted lines in Figure 1.

The limit of pivotal movement in the open po sition of the tong arms is controlled by the abutting of the rear inner surfaces of the tong arms at 28, and it is evident that the distance to which the tong arms may be spread can be readily ad.- justed by the length of the arms extending to the rear of the pivot point. The tong arms are snugly fitted within the channel members and are firmly held in such position by the resilient action of the spring ends 24 urging the arms into the channel members. The arms, while fitted snugly within the channel members and definitely located by grooves 21, may nevertheless be moved to different positions, disregarding the po sitions of grooves 21. These grooves may be omitted if desired.

Also, if it is necessary to replace one of the arms, the old arm may be slipped from the channel against the friction of the channel walls and the spring, and the new arm inserted without disassembly or mutilation of the device. Should such a new arm fit relatively loosely in its channel member it will still be secured firmly by the action of the spring.

Clothes or the like are gripped by the tongs by exerting hand pressure on the arms just forward of the pivot point, and release of the hand pressure will allow the arms to return to open position for convenience in releasing the article and for convenience in picking up the next article.

Having now described my invention and in what manner the same may be used, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

In a pair of tongs, a hinge assembly comprising two opposed channel members having apertured side flanges to receive a pivot pin, a pivot pin extending through said side flanges, said flanges extending the length of the channel members to receive a pair of tong arms and guide said arms in pivotal movement, tong arms in the respective channel members, said flanges engaging each other through substantially the full length or" the members to maintain said tong arms parallel with each other, a sleeve surrounding said pivot pin and forming a strut between said flanges, abutment means on the ends of said pivot pin clamping said flanges against the ends of said sleeve, and a coil spring around said sleeve having extending end portions terminating short of the ends of said channels to engage portions of said arms within said channels.

IRVING B. COYLE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,447,474 Hammond Aug. 17, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 81,571 Sweden Oct. 2, 1934 622,719 Great Britain May 5, 1949 

